The Selected Letters

The Selected Letters

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Summary

Edith Somerville and Violet Martin came from impoverished but resourceful Anglo-Irish landlord families. From 1886-1915 they collaborated on novels and short stories and published under the names of Somerville and Ross. Their letters are lively and full of close observation of Irish life.

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The Selected Letters by Eoe Somerville

Edith Somerville and Violet Martin came from impoverished but resourceful Anglo-Irish landlord families. From 1886-1915 they collaborated on numerous novels and short stories, often illustrated by Edith, and published under the names of Somerville and Ross. In the 20 years up to 1906, when they started to live together, they exchanged hundreds of letters. Thereafter, although the correspondence was more sporadic, it is supplemented here with extracts from their diaries and with letters to Edith's sister, Hildegarde. They are full of lively and close observation and often record aspects of Irish life previously unremarked by male writers. Their portrait of Ireland between 1856 and 1915 is comprehensive and valuable. The letters chronicle the last days of a society centred on the great house and chart the course of an unusual collaboration between two gifted women. Somerville and Ross also wrote "The Real Charlotte" and "Some Experiences of an Irish RM".
Edith Somerville and Martin Ross were second cousins born to distant branches of a prominent Anglo-Irish Ascendancy family. They lived together at the Somerville home for most of their adult lives, traveling frequently to Europe and collaborating on numerous books and articles. Their most famous novel, The Real Charlotte, was published in 1894. After Ross's death in 1915, Somerville continued to write and publish under both names, claiming that the partnership endured beyond the grave.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780571153480
ISBN 10 0571153488
Title The Selected Letters
Author Eoe Somerville
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher Faber & Faber
Year published 1989-07-01
Number of pages 352
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.